Get Current time in GMT/UTC using JavaScript

Make use of the toUTCString() method from the Date() constructor to get the current UTC time and date in JavaScript.

Example 1: Current Date and Time in UTC

const date = new Date();
const utcDateString = date.toUTCString();
console.log("Current GMT Date Time: " + utcDateString);

Output:
Current GMT Date Time: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 12:23:04 GMT

Example 2: Current Time in GMT

const date = new Date();
const utcTimeString = date.toUTCString().split(" ")[4];
console.log("Current GMT Time: " + utcTimeString);

Output:
Current GMT Time: 12:25:59

Example 3: Current Date in GMT

const date = new Date();
const utcDateString = date.toUTCString().split(" ").slice(1, 4).join(" ");
console.log("Current GMT Date: " + utcDateString);

Output:
Current GMT Date: 08 Sep 2023

We can also make use of the toISOString() to get the time now in UTC/GMT.

Example 4: Date and Time in Zulu (Z/UTC/GMT)

const dateZulu = new Date().toISOString();
console.log("Date Time in Zulu Now: " + dateZulu);

Output:
Date Time in Zulu Now: 2023-09-08T13:11:29.142Z

JSFiddle Link: https://jsfiddle.net/r0b79zdh/

What is the difference between GMT/UTC/Zulu

GMT stands for - "Greenwich Mean Time" and is usually interchangeable with UTC - "Coordinated Universal Time", they both being stable Global Time Standards. "Zulu" is a military term referring to UTC, primarily in aviation.

Reference documentation and links:

GMT, UTC, Zulu Time:

• UTC on Wikipedia
• GMT on Wikipedia
• Time Zone Abbreviations (UTC, GMT, Zulu)
• Time and Date: UTC Explained
• International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) - UTC
• U.S. Naval Observatory - UTC Time Service
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - UTC
• The World Clock - UTC/GMT Time Zone Converter
• Time.is - UTC/GMT/Zulu Time
• European Space Agency (ESA) - UTC Timekeeping
• U.S. Department of Energy - UTC and Leap Seconds
• United Nations (ITU) - Coordinated Universal Time
• United States Naval Observatory (USNO) - GMT/UTC Conversion
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Time Standards
• Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) - Timekeeping in Aviation

Must Refer JavaScript Documentation:

• MDN Web Docs - JavaScript Date Object
• W3Schools - JavaScript Date Methods
• W3Schools - JavaScript Date Formats
• MDN Web Docs - Intl.DateTimeFormat
• Moment.js - JavaScript Date Library

This is not an AI-generated article but is demonstrated by a human on an M1 Mac running macOS Sonoma 14.0.

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